orrery

American  

[awr-uh-ree, or-] / ˈɔr ə ri, ˈɒr- /

noun

plural

orreries

1. an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.

2. any of certain similar machines, as a planetarium.

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orrery British  

/ ˈɒrərɪ /

noun

1. a mechanical model of the solar system in which the planets can be moved at the correct relative velocities around the sun

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Etymology

Origin of orrery

First recorded in 1705–15; named after Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1676–1731), for whom it was first made

Example Sentences

The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Ah, so the orrery is some kind of time machine, according to Christina?

From The Guardian • Sep. 7, 2020

A small orrery takes about a month to make and Norfolk-based Staines and Son would normally ship between six and 10 each year to customers all over the world.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2020

Opera powers He’s orrery, so her time in Hong Kong, like every other city in which she performs, is fleeting.

From Time • Oct. 24, 2017

A golden orrery consumed a massive table: the gilded model of the heavens detailing the locations of each Marvellian city and the Arcanum.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton